Fiber product versus de

[Pool in Carolina Blue]

Has anyone tried the cellulose fiber based product in lieu of de?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[thepoolman1]

Have used it in my business since 1994. Have never even considered going back to DE. Try it, you'll love it. Just make sure to get all the DE out of your filter with a good cleaning. You may have to do a second filter cleaning (teardown not backwash) if your pool has had a lot of oils get into it.

After that, your backwashes will be more complete and a teardown and clean will ususally not require that the grid cluster be disassembled. Just a good spray from a hose.

The product is completely inert and non-hazardous. Yes, your water will sparkle.

[Pool in Carolina Blue]

Thank you! I am going to try it.

[ChuckD]

Just wondering why it's better than DE?
[edit: yes, I see why that's a stupid question since poolman1 spelled it out already. But the rest of my post stands]

Also I know DE is a naturally occuring substance and harmless if I just dump it off into the lawn and I can't imagine my water being clearer.

What's this fiber made of? And is it (could it possibly be) cheaper than DE?

C.

[Pool in Carolina Blue]

Chuck:

From my understanding, the fiber is 100% biodegradeable (comes from plant walls and is processed from wood pulp, cotton fiber etc.) whereas the DE is not. In fact, my DE filter has a seperation that was required by the municipality where I live. The purpose of the seperation tank is to catch all of the "used" DE during backwash so it does not get into the sanitary sewar. Apparantly, the DE does not break down readily and has caused clogged lines. Also, DE has been known to cause respiratory problems over extended exposure.

The fiber product is much lighter so you only use roughly 1/4 of what you would use in DE. It is supposed to coat the grids more evenly, filter more refinely, and you will not backwash near as often. I think the reason it is not popular is cost. A 3 lb. bag runs roughly $15. However, I have not done any analysis on the seasonal cost as you are not re-charging with it nearly as often as with DE. If cost does not matter, I think it is a better product from the reasearch I have read.

[Spensar]

Is this Zeobrite being discussed?

[tphaggerty]

Its not Zeobrite, that is for sand filters.

What is the brand name of this stuff (or at least one brand). I would like to research further.

[tphaggerty]

OK, found it myself. It is called CF-138 or Fiber Clear.

[ChuckD]

Chuck:

From my understanding, the fiber is 100% biodegradeable (comes from plant walls and is processed from wood pulp, cotton fiber etc.) whereas the DE is not. In fact, my DE filter has a seperation that was required by the municipality where I live. The purpose of the seperation tank is to catch all of the "used" DE during backwash so it does not get into the sanitary sewar. Apparantly, the DE does not break down readily and has caused clogged lines. Also, DE has been known to cause respiratory problems over extended exposure.

The fiber product is much lighter so you only use roughly 1/4 of what you would use in DE. It is supposed to coat the grids more evenly, filter more refinely, and you will not backwash near as often. I think the reason it is not popular is cost. A 3 lb. bag runs roughly $15. However, I have not done any analysis on the seasonal cost as you are not re-charging with it nearly as often as with DE. If cost does not matter, I think it is a better product from the reasearch I have read.

Thanks for that Pool.
I'm out in the country with 4 acres to spread it out and my water's clearer than I deserve so I think I'll stick with the DE.

BTW, I was able to find two interesting things: I found it for $60/25 lb. bag ($52 for quantities of 6 or more), and I found on the Pentaire website FAQ a comment that they found it requires 'many more backwashes'. Google on CF-138.

C.

[Pool in Carolina Blue]

Thanks Chuck. More backwashes would be a problem!